It is common practice in apparatus for blocking the sun after a vehicle is parked to use a reflector or other cover to shield the vehicle from the sun from inside of the vehicle. But, this does not stop the sun from heating up the interior of the vehicle by beating down on the vehicle roof. As a result, a number of vehicle sun shades or canopies have been devised to extend over the vehicle roof and thereby provide additional heat insulation. Some of these canopies include a desirable insular air space between the shade and the vehicle roof. However, they are not well adapted for compact storage when not in use, and they are not well adapted to both hold a canopy in an extended working position while permitting retraction into a storage position.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for new and improved sun shade apparatus which serves to reduce the build up of temperature within a vehicle when parked, and which serves to minimize storage issues when not parked.